autumn – Page 8 – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Za’atar-Spiced Millet + Chickpeas with Baba Ghanoush

November 8, 2014November 8, 2014by Rebecca5 Comments

In between eating roasted pumpkin and winter squash in everything possible because it’s already November, I finally used up all the garden’s eggplants. There were as many growing in my tiny space as were in the school garden and given their late start last spring, they took seriously forever to ripen.

The real question is why did I plant so many in the first place? Quite simply, I like eggplant. Most people don’t. Like a little girl, I could say I like it because the fruit is purple and a funky shape and that name, egg plant. But there’s more. I began my eggplant-eating-tendencies years ago after trying it for the first time at The Olive Garden. My group thought I was crazy for ordering, of all things, something vegetarian and with a slimy vegetable as the main show. I was just beginning to show the “let’s-eat-all-the-weird-to-rural-Eastern-Oregon-food” side of my personality, and everyone else’s strong opinions made me like the vegetable even more.

All these years later, I still love eggplant because it’s often unloved and misunderstood–and because it can be seriously good. It pairs especially well in Middle Eastern food, and according to Ottolenghi, in Jerusulem it is often featured in every meal.

I whipped roasted eggplant into baba ghanoush a few weeks back and then, needing something for lunch on a busy day, threw all these ingredients in a dish before running out the door. I suspected something magical was in the works, and though leftovers for lunch is not always exciting, this combination of baba ghanoush, millet, chickpeas, za’atar, and kale goes together super well. It was so good that a decent amount of all that eggplant made its way into baba ghanoush for the sole purpose of making this.

If you’re at all like me and tend to have beans and grains and random spreads and spice mixtures like baba ghanoush and za’atar hanging out, this will go together super quick. If not, it will take a bit more time, though it’s definitely worth it!

Za’atar-Spiced Millet + Chickpeas with Baba Ghanoush, serves 1

1 cup cooked millet

1/2-2/3 cup cooked chickpeas

2-3 Tbs. Baba Ghanoush, or more to taste

a big pile of chopped kale leaves

1-2 tsp. za’atar, to taste

chopped cilantro, optional

Toss all the above together. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Baba Ghanoush, adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food

1 lb. eggplant (about one large)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

salt, to taste

2 Tbs. tahini

Juice of one lemon

1/3 tsp. cumin

Split the eggplant in half length-wise and roast, cut side down at 425 degrees F, until very soft inside (about 30 minutes). Let it cool slightly and then peel the skin off and discard. In a small dish, mash it all up with a fork and then stir in the remaining ingredients until they come together. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Za’atar

You can buy this spice mixture, but it’s easy to make yourself. Combine 1 part ground dried thyme, 1 part lightly toasted sesame seeds, 1/4 part sumac, and salt to taste.

Autumn

Hazelnut, Pear & Oat Muffins

November 3, 2014September 21, 2017by Rebecca3 Comments

We arrived just as the wind picked up and rain came on. Most market-goers had deserted and the farmers stood under their tents with their arms raised high, holding on to the beams.

I loaded up the last of Larry’s pears and as we chatted I piled them on to his scale. He had to let go of his tent to weigh and figure a price and Will quickly reached up and held it down for him.

The significance of our simple interaction struck me later. It was one small moment in an ordinary day. The exchange reminded me of how we rely on each other. Constantly. Unnoticeably. And it’s there in those quietly normal experiences, when we’re not realizing the significance, that who we are is revealed.

When I observe the simple interactions that make up most days, I realize I am often either engrossed in my own storm, focused on holding down my tent and getting through, or I am asking, demanding, pushing of others. I like to think the latter, the pushing, helps people become better, reach higher, risk further. I see Will though, and so many others in my life, who reach out to listen, support, and give of themselves easily. In the ordinary everyday, I’d like to do a little more of the holding up of others’ tents.

Watch your interactions today. Are you just holding on, hoping the wind doesn’t blow away all that you’ve been working for? Are you asking and/or demanding of others? Are you instead an encourager or perhaps a helper, willing to take over for another for a while? There’s significance here in the mechanics of our connections. Pay attention. The roles we play in these small moments make up who we are, who we ultimately become.

Hazelnut, Pear & Oat Muffins, makes 12 standard or 8 large

Inspired by Megan Gordon’s Whole Grain Mornings

3/4 cup oat bran, certified gluten-free

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix

3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. salt

2 medium pears

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup almond milk

1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs. ground flax seed

6 Tbs. hot water

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with papers.
In a small dish, whisk together the hot water and flax seed. Set aside to form a thick slurry.
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the oat bran, flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
Grate the pears using the large holes of a box grater. Don’t include the core and seeds.
In the liquid measuring cup with milk, add the honey, oil, vanilla, pears, half of the hazelnuts, and flax mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Pour the liquids into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
Fill the muffin cups almost to the top with batter and then sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts on the top. Put the muffins in the oven immediately and decrease the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake until the tops are golden brown, for 20-25 minutes.

There are many reoccuring themes in my thoughts and for my own purposes, I’m starting to link them together. Here are a couple more past experiences on connections and listening.

Autumn

Eggplant + Sweet Potato Curry with Coconut Milk

October 21, 2014August 30, 2015by Rebecca3 Comments

It rained last night & all day today
so the lake I can’t quite see
over the tree line is pure frothy white.

There is mist everywhere
& I am alone in it.

The white light
burns my eyes, sears a holy purpose
in my human frame.

I’m setting out
on a new journey, ever faithful.
Early on, I walked away
from everything, from things I loved.

But now, when I come to the ocean,
as I know I will, foaming
like some impossible hell,
I won’t despair or surrender.

I’ll find a tree, growing from a crag
on the shore & I’ll cut it down
with the force of my loneliness.

There is the shape of a boat
hidden beneath the bark,
I know it.

So I’ll release it,
using my most tender memories
as tools. I’ll continue.

Nothing
will block my way.

– Nate Pritts, from “Mist Everywhere”

We tend to eat curry fairly frequently, and it lends itself to being highly adaptable. I have a recipe that I’ve used in the past, but often choose a random one that looks good from the internet. Recently, I’ve been asked by a few friends if I can share a version that Will and I like, and in the interest of The Recipe Redux challenge of experimenting with spices this month, I decided the time has come to lay down a good base. By that, I mean the vegetables and protein can be changed up depending on the season, but this combination of coconut milk, spices, and sweet raisins will work for all sorts of variations. I’ve had a turmeric root hanging out in the freezer for a few months and finally decided to branch out and actually use it. I frequently use dried turmeric, but just like fresh ginger, fresh turmeric is easy to incorporate into recipes. I like to store both in the freezer as they can be used whenever necessary, and then use a micro-grater on them while still frozen. Fresh turmeric is not always available, so if not, the dried kind can be substituted instead.

Eggplant + Sweet Potato Curry with Coconut Milk, serves 4-6

1 1/2 Tbs. coconut or olive oil

3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalepeño pepper, diced

2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

1 large eggplant, chopped

1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne powder (adjust according to taste)
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp.chili powder
3/4 tsp. coriander powder

1 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs. fresh turmeric, grated (or 1/2 tsp. dried)

1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
11 oz. light coconut milk

2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
2 cups kale, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

fresh cilantro, to serve

cooked long grain brown rice, to serve

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil, moving around the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Toss in leeks, garlic, sweet potato and jalepeño; stir; let cook for about 10-15 minutes, until sweet potato has become slightly soft. Stir in the eggplant and cook for 10 minutes longer, or until both eggplant and sweet potato are cooked through.

Once the veggies are tender, add the spices. Give them a minute or so to toast and then pour in the coconut milk, lemon juice, beans, kale, and raisins. Stir everything together and let the flavors meld for 5-10 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste, and enjoy with rice and cilantro.